JUNE 18–Woodford Wins Again at Patriot GNCC |
Woodford Wins Again at Patriot GNCC Woodford beat KTM’s National Enduro Champion Mike Lafferty to the finish after three hours of racing. Fellow Kawasaki rider Fred Andrews was third. All three riders had terrible starts, but they were able to make up for them in the muddy conditions. KTM’s Shane Watts surprised everyone when he took the lead and held it for the first lap, the first great ride the often-injured former-champ has put together in some time. Eventually Watts faded back, and Lafferty completed an amazing last-to-first charge to get into the lead after two laps. Woodford went on a tear too, and when Lafferty got stuck he was able to catch him and then take the lead. From there, the duo battled hard, swapping the lead several times. ‘Once he got me I wanted to stay with him and learn his lines,’ said Lafferty. ‘But it’s tough; he wanted to use different lines than I did. He’s on a different style of bike too, since I’m on the big thumper. So I learned a little bit watching him, like how he approaches ruts. He rode well, he deserves it.’ Andrews dug deep for third, finishing ahead of Ohio’s Jimmy Jarrett and series’ points leader Barry Hawk. ‘I rode well, I just made a few mistakes out there,’ said the Am-Pro/Morgantown Yamaha/MSR-backed Hawk. ‘I was trying to pass Freddy, and we got to this rut, and he must have taken the last fraction of an inch of mud off of it. He got through and I got stuck.’ But Hawk continues to stretch his series’ lead, as his teammate Jason Raines struggled again and finished ninth. Lafferty is now second in GNCC points after eight rounds, some 43 points back on Hawk. Top Twenty Overall Results
AMA Grand National Cross Country Series Points Standings (After 8 of 13 rounds): 1. Barry Hawk, Jr. (193/3 wins); 2. Michael Lafferty (150/1 win); 3. Jason Raines (143); 4. Fred Andrews (132/1 win); 5. Robbie Jenks (117); 6. Randy Hawkins (109); 7. Steve Hatch (100); 8. Chuck Woodford (85/2 wins); 9. Rodney Smith (72/1 win); 10. Mike Kiedrowski (64). |
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